


curiosity killed the cat.

by Idnis



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Humor, I mean, M/M, Magic, Neil gets turned into a cat, i find neil as a cat pretty funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13351443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idnis/pseuds/Idnis
Summary: FuckNeil wanted to curse,but all his voice managed was a pretty pathetic sounding,‘Meow.’





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AokazuSei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AokazuSei/gifts).



> Hello lovely people!
> 
> SO this is a new one for me. 
> 
> AokazuSei prompted me 'Neil turns into a cat' and at first I thought  
> "No, that's too out of my comfort zone and so different from what I normally write."  
> But then I wanted to accept the challenge and see if I could do anything with it.
> 
> Needless to say, it turned into a 10k fic, so I had to split it in two.
> 
> I hope you like it!

  
There was really nothing much to Neil’s daily run towards the store.  
Except now.  
Standing in front of the shop, there was a little note on the door that read  
  
“ _Closed for the first three weeks of the new year. Sorry for any inconveniences.”_ _  
_ _  
_ ‘Shit,’ Neil muttered.  
  
They were literally out of _everything_ at home, including the coffee and ice cream,  
both vitally important items.  
  
‘I’ll say,’ some guy beside him said.  
  
Okay.  
  
So maybe it was because Neil had been hungry for some time  
and had begrudgingly ran towards the store to get their apartment stocked again.  
Or maybe it was because Neil had had a shitty game last Saturday.  
But it was probably because he’d gotten into a big fight with Andrew last night,  
something that rarely happened.  
  
Them being them,  
they had yet to talk about it.  
  
Neil had meant to buy expensive ice cream as a peace offer. So much for that plan. And now _this guy_ thought he understood what Neil was going through?  
Thought he was experiencing the same shitty feeling?  
Like they had some sort of bond?  
  
‘Why don’t you shut the fuck up?’ Neil said.

‘Excuse me?’ the guy said, sounding irritated.  
  
Neil turned towards him.  
The guy had dark skin and startling light grey eyes. Neil saw there were little feathers weaved into his longer hair.  
  
His attention was quickly drawn back to the way the guy was raising his hands however.

He wanted a fight?  
Oh, Neil was _more_ than ready.

‘Something wrong with your ears? I asked you to mind your fucking business.’

The guy looked angrier with the second. ‘I was just about to point you to another store, but you know what? Forget it. I hope you starve.’

‘ _Starve_?’ Neil repeated. ‘I think I can find another store on my own. Or I’ll ask someone who doesn’t have a plucked chicken in their hair.’

Low blow, Neil knew,  
but there was something greatly satisfying about losing all the frustration and anger he’d bottled up during his fight with Andrew last night.

He also knew he should get out of here before this got out of hand.  
  
‘Yeah?’ the guy asked, taking a step into Neil’s personal space. ‘I don’t think anyone’s going to help a guy like _you_. Except maybe if you couldn’t talk anymore.’

Too late to back out.

‘Is that a fucking threat?’ Neil asked, taking a step closer,  
even though he had to crane his head back to even look the guy into his scarily light eyes.  
They seemed lighter now, if that was even possible.

‘Nope,’ the guy grinned, and Neil could _swear_ that his eyes were almost glowing. ‘It’s a promise.’

Because he had just one finger pointed at Neil’s chest,  
Neil didn’t exactly see the threat until the finger poked hard into his chest, pushing him back.  
  
Neil stumbled, but quickly steadied himself. He looked angrily up at the guy, who somehow was even _taller_ now.  
  
What the fuck?  
Was Neil hallucinating from the lack of food?  
  
Because it seemed like the guy was growing before Neil’s eyes.  
There was one horrible moment as Neil fell forward on his hands-  
and then it hit him.

It wasn’t that the guy was growing,  
it was that  _he_ was shrinking.  
  
Out of all the things Neil didn’t believe in,  
_magic  
_ definitely wasn’t one he’d expected to be wrong about.  
  
_What did you do?_  
Neil wanted to yell, but his voice didn’t work quite like it used to.  
  
Meanwhile, the guy was laughing loudly, clutching his stomach as he looked down at Neil. ‘Good luck trying to get people to help you. Now you have to rely on your irresistible _charm_ .’  
  
He gave Neil a mocking smile before walking away.  
  
Seething from anger, Neil took a step forward, to stop the guy from getting away,  
but it wasn’t just  
a step.

It was four steps.

What?

 _Fuck_  
Neil wanted to curse,  
but all his voice managed was a pretty pathetic sounding,  
‘ _Meow_.’

▵▵  
  
Okay, so.

Neil needed to get home.  
Which was unfortunately fifteen minutes away, if he ran fast.  
  
But that had been as a human.  
He had no idea how long it was going to take him as a…  
cat.

Neil lifted his left arm-  
paw  
and watched the tiny red and dark brown hairs ruffle softly in the wind.  
  
Weird.  
  
He put it down again.  
He’d observe his new body after he’d gone home.  
  
Taking the road he normally took back home,  
Neil was irritated at himself for having started a pointless fight with a stranger.  
  
Who even was that guy?

It wouldn’t have been smart to follow him.  
He was vulnerable as a cat, and probably couldn’t find his way back as easily anymore, now that he saw things from a lower perspective.  
But still.  
He would’ve liked to scratch the guy’s face open.

‘Oh!’  
  
Behind him, he heard a high pitched squeal, followed by, ‘A cat!’

Oh no.  
Neil turned around, and saw two _enormous_ girls slowly walk towards him, their giant hands outstretched.  
  
No.

Neil hadn’t tried running yet,  
but he was about to find out as he took off, hearing the girls _aww_ -ing behind him.  
  
▵▵  
  
He was surprisingly fast.

He’d covered the distance to their apartment in no time,  
and was barely even tired.  
Neil wondered if his stamina had transferred too.

Finally, the door to their apartment complex came into view and Neil wanted to breathe a sigh in relief,  
but it came out a little differently as he didn’t open his mouth.

Weird.

Neil walked up to the door,  
and paused.

Oh.  
Wait.  
Key.

Had he left his clothes on the ground near the store?  
Neil couldn’t remember, and there was no point going back now that he was here.

He eyed the panel next to the door. The one with all the doorbells.

If only he could press one.  
  
It was definitely beyond weird to try to jump up,  
and at first all Neil managed was a weird ‘on all paws’ jump that lifted him approximately one inch of the ground.

Great.

How did _their_ cats jump again?  
Neil had never paid attention.  
  
He dropped his butt to the ground, then tried from this position,  
but ended up just shooting forward and headbutting the building.  
  
Neil had half a mind to just wait it out, or try from a different side,  
when someone walked towards the apartment.  
Someone who was searching for their key.  
Someone who lived here.

Neil dropped lower to the ground as he prepared himself.  
  
When the door opened, Neil shot forward,  
using all his speed to barrel past the person.

‘Hey!’ he heard behind him, followed by a, ‘Oh well. Not my problem.’  
  
▵▵  
  
Ugh.  
Same problem,  
different door.

Neil watched his apartment door with exasperation.

What now? It was a Monday.  
  
They normally didn’t do anything on a Monday because training was on Tuesday,  
although Neil sometimes went for a run, or trained with Kevin at the gym.

Today hadn’t been like that.  
  
After their fight last night,  
Andrew had gone for a midnight drive  
and when Neil had woken up this morning,  
Andrew was nowhere to be found.  
  
He must’ve come home, because Neil had seen the clothes he’d worn yesterday in their laundry basket.

Neil put his paw against the door and wished he knew how to use his claws.  
  
Maybe he could yell?  
  
He’d already called out   
_Andrew  
_ before the pathetic sounding   
‘Meow.’  
reminded Neil that he _couldn’t_.

Though, now that he thought about it, their cats usually got their attention this way too.  
Neil’s attention more than Andrew’s, but still.  
  
‘Meow?’ Neil tried again.  
  
It sounded so soft,  
not at all like the wailing, complaining noises their cats usually produced.

‘Meow.’

It was louder at least.

But not loud enough.  
  
▵▵  
  
After half an hour of pathetically and politely meowing against the closed door,  
Neil paced in front of it for another half.  
  
Until, _finally_ , he heard footsteps on the stairs,  
and suddenly his nose picked up Andrew’s scent,  
though it was much stronger than normal.

 _Andrew!  
_ was what Neil had meant to say,  
but as predicted, he only meowed politely as Andrew came into view.  
  
Andrew froze as he saw Neil sitting on their doormat.

Or well, he probably saw a red, fluffy cat sitting in front of his apartment.

Andrew stared him down,  
but Neil found he didn’t have to blink so much anymore and so he might actually win this for once.

‘What?’ Andrew said, walking towards the door and taking out his key.

Oh, Andrew was finally taller than him.

The thought was inappropriately funny,  
and Neil snorted.  
Or well,  
the cat equivalent of snorting.

Andrew narrowed his eyes at him. ‘You’re not getting in.’

As if Andrew could stop him.  
Neil was way faster now.

Andrew unlocked the door and Neil ran for it using all his speed,  
only to find his arms and legs running in the air as Andrew had snatched him up from the ground.  
  
Neil wasn’t afraid of heights,  
but he could understand Andrew a little better now.  
  
_Let go_ ,  
Neil snapped  
but all that came out was a troubled meow.

‘No,’ Andrew said, holding Neil up to his face.

Even though Neil was frustrated,  
when he saw the dark circles underneath Andrew’s eyes,  
it hurt a little.

He hated their fights too.  
  
Before Neil remembered that he didn’t have hands,  
his fluffy paw was already touching Andrew’s cheek.

_Boop._

Andrew blinked.

 _Sorry  
_ Neil said in his polite meow.

Andrew’s blank stare revealed nothing.  
But for some reason, he walked inside with Neil in his hands and pushed the door close behind him with his foot.

Neil was put on the ground.

‘We have two cats already,’ Andrew said.

Neil couldn’t decide if it was frustration or resignation.  
Probably both.

All that mattered was that he was inside.  
  
Neil followed Andrew into the living room.  
Sir Fat Cat McCatterson was lying on the couch, and Neil wondered for a second how he was going to respond to a new cat.  
  
But then he noticed the brief clenching of Andrew’s fist around his keys  
as he looked around the apartment and found it  
empty.

Right.  
The fight.

 _You were gone too  
_ Neil said.

Andrew turned around  
and watched Neil with a dangerously blank expression.

The reality hit Neil like a fast, heavy racquet.  
  
Neil wasn’t going to come home.  
  
▵▵  
  
As soon as Neil walked closer to the couch, Sir Fat Cat McCatterson lifted a round head and watched Neil with its brown eyes.  
  
_Hi?_ Neil tried.  
  
No reaction.  
Figured.  
McCatterson was an exceptionally lazy and unalert cat.

Certain there wasn’t going to be a catfight, Neil turned his attention to Andrew again,  
who was opening the fridge to check if Neil had left some groceries.  
  
Neil worried, as he watched Andrew stare at the fridge  
for a second longer than was necessary.

He needed to turn back into a human, that much had been obvious from the start, but Neil also needed to let Andrew know that he hadn’t…  
run.

Andrew needed to know that as soon as possible.  
  
Maybe Neil could write it down.  
Getting Andrew’s phone out of his pocket and typing out a message seemed like the easiest option  
when you didn’t have thumbs.

Andrew sat down on the couch.  
Oh.  
Neil looked up and immediately saw the big flaw in his plan.

He had yet to figure out how to jump.

Neil once again dropped his butt to the ground with a ungracious _thump  
_ and tried to kick himself off with his legs.  
  
For a second, Neil saw where he wanted to go, the couch’s surface mocking him,  
as his height dropped rapidly  
and he headbutted the couch.  
  
Andrew looked down at him.  
  
Neil tried again.  
And headbutted the couch  
again.

Damnit.

When he looked up at Andrew,  
he saw Andrew watching him with raised eyebrows.

Neil wondered how stupid he looked right now.

 _Can’t you just lift me up?_ Neil said in frustration, producing a slightly whinier meow than usual.  
  
Finally _some_ improvement.  
  
‘What,’ Andrew said.  
  
Neil rolled his eyes.

 _I’m a fucking cat.  
_ _I can’t talk, Andrew.  
_ he retorted.  
  
Except Andrew leaned forward with a frown. ‘Did you just roll your eyes at me?’

Oh, he could actually do that?

Neil did it again.

Andrew’s eyes narrowed as he observed Neil for a few seconds.

‘Don’t sass me,’ Andrew said. ‘If you want to get up on the couch, get there yourself.’

Ugh.  
  
▵▵  
  
Because Neil couldn’t get on the fucking couch,  
he had to abandon his phone plan for now and wait for whenever Andrew would put it somewhere he _could_ get it.  
  
Neil glared at the couch,  
and noticed McCatterson observing him.

 _Help your owner out,_ Neil said, maybe a little petulantly.  
  
As was expected, Sir Fat Cat McCatterson merely dropped his round head on the couch.  
  
▵▵  
  
So maybe Neil could _show_ Andrew that he was Neil.  
  
Hit with the sudden inspiration, Neil sprinted towards their bedroom  
and found the door closed.

 _Fuck,_ Neil cursed.

He put his paw against the door and tried to push,  
but it wouldn’t budge,  
because of course his paw was nowhere near as powerful as a human hand.  
  
Neil threw his entire body against the frame.

It might’ve worked if his  
entire body  
was more than this lithe cat form.  
  
_Fucking door._  
Neil sighed.  
  
He heard footsteps behind him.

‘Stop complaining,’ Andrew said, and opened the door for Neil.  
  
Neil was amazed.

He hadn’t known Andrew was so accommodating to their cats.  
If he’d known, he would’ve been jealous.  
Now it was just helpful.  
  
‘You going in or what?’ Andrew said.

 _Yeah thanks_ , Neil said,   
and sprinted into the bedroom, going straight for the bed where he knew his pyjamas were.  
  
Luckily, there were some empty boxes underneath their bed,  
so Neil pushed one out from underneath and used it as a stepping stool to get onto the bed.

He still had to awkwardly throw his body onto it,  
but it was better than getting a fucking concussion because he couldn’t jump.  
  
Neil used his front paws to push the blanket out of the way until he saw his shirt.  
Andrew’s old jersey.

Lifting the shirt between his front paws, Neil was just wondering how he was going to get down if he couldn’t use all of his legs  
when-  
  
‘What the fuck,’ Andrew said,  
still standing in the doorway.

Um.  
  
_This isn’t how cats are supposed to do things, is it?_ Neil said sheepishly.  
He dropped the shirt.

Moving closer, Andrew looked at what he’d been digging for, but when he saw Neil’s shirt,  
his face went blank.

‘You want this?’ he asked, picking up the shirt.

Before Neil could say or do anything,  
Andrew dropped it on the ground.  

‘Make sure you ruin it.’

Then he walked out of the room,  
leaving the door open behind him  
and leaving Neil frozen on the bed.  
  
▵▵  
  
When Neil got out of the shower,  
he toweled himself off with all the aggression he’d held in so as to not go completely off against the other team.

He grabbed a shirt and sweatpants,  
dressed,  
and stomped towards the bed.

‘Hate losing?’ Andrew asked, not looking up from his book.

‘ _No_ ,’ Neil said pointedly as he bodychecked the mattress. ‘I just don’t like losing because my teammate is distracted.’

He punched his pillow into shape and all but threw his head against it.

‘You’re supposed to watch the game, not your teammates.’

Neil turned on his side to watch Andrew. ‘You know what I’m asking.’

Andrew still didn’t look up.  
  
‘I haven’t heard a question.’

Neil sighed. ‘Why were you distracted?’

‘I wasn’t.’

Neil watched the way Andrew’s eyes stared hard at the page,  
not reading anymore.  
  
It was unusual for Andrew to be distracted by anything.

If he was,  
that anything usually was Neil.  
  
‘Why do I get the feeling you’re lying to me?’ Neil asked.  
  
Finally,  
Andrew looked at him,  
brown eyes flat.

‘Because you know what that feels like.’

Leaning on his elbow and ignoring Andrew’s painful jab, Neil sat up a little.  
  
‘Tell me.’  
  
▵▵  
  
Neil startled awake by the front door closing.  
  
He’d fallen asleep on his own pillow,  
and saw that it was dark now.  
  
Where was Andrew going?

Neil was about to jump off the bed and find out, when the bedroom door opened and Andrew walked in.  
  
Not going away,  
but coming back.

Andrew was staring at the bed,  
standing almost unnaturally still.

Finally, his eyes slid to Neil.

There was nothing.  
  
Then, Andrew methodically changed into his pyjamas and slid under the covers, bundling himself up like he always did  
and turning on his side.

Neil ached with the need to assure Andrew  
that he would come back too.  
  
Wanting to see Andrew’s face, Neil carefully climbed over his body, trying not to trip up and fall.  
  
Andrew was staring straight ahead.

Even though it was dark,  
which didn’t bother Neil as much as before,  
Neil still saw the detachedness.

Forgetting for a moment that he wasn’t himself,  
Neil laid down against Andrew’s chest  
and carefully touched his hand-  
paw  
to Andrew’s cheek.

There was no response.

So Neil reached a little higher,  
touching Andrew’s temple,  
close to his eyes.  
  
_Don’t look like that._ _  
_ _I am here._

No reaction.  
  
A strand of blonde hair was lying over Andrew’s forehead, and Neil reached out again  
to brush it away,  
to make Andrew feel _something  
_ even if it was a soft cat paw.

Except he didn’t know this body at all,  
so when he stretched out, he lost his balance  
and tumbled off the bed.  
  
He _did_ land on his feet.

But now he was back on the ground  
and the bed  
and Andrew  
were so far away.  
  
Neil dropped his butt to the ground,  
determined to get back up there,  
but then a big hand was coming closer,  
lifting him up and putting him on the bed again.

Putting him against Andrew’s chest.

Neil looked up  
and saw that Andrew’s eyes were closed.

It wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted  
but it was good enough for now.

Having no idea how to properly lay down, Neil sort of let himself fall to the side  
against Andrew’s side.  
  
The hand softly combing through his fur was definitely unexpected,  
slightly uncomfortable,  
but not unwelcome.  
  
Before Neil knew it,  
he was asleep again.  
  
▵▵  
  
The next morning,  
Neil woke up as Andrew sat up to turn on the lights.

Right, training.  
  
Neil stretched his arms and legs and yawned,  
hoping they would be able to fight it out on the court toda-

He looked down at the two fluffy paws stretched out in front of him.  
  
_Ugh,_ Neil groaned,  
and felt just as miserable as his meow sounded.  
  
He quickly pushed the feeling away  
and watched Andrew pull on a hoodie and a different pair of sweatpants.  
  
They always changed into their gear in the locker room.

Neil wondered if Andrew thought Neil would already be at the stadium.  
Wondered what Andrew would think  
if Neil wasn’t.

While Andrew was in the kitchen,  
the sounds of the coffee machine coming to life,  
Neil leapt to Andrew’s nightstand and saw to his satisfaction that he’d left  
his phone.

Using one hand-  
paw  
to slowly drag it towards the bed,  
Neil managed to maneuver it in front of him, and unlock the screen by pressing his nose against it.  
  
The screen was a little wet now though,  
and Neil felt stupid for not remembering the basics about cats.  
  
He wiped the screen clean with his paw, then pressed on the chat icon.  
  
_Their_ chat  
was opened, their last messages from last Friday.  
  
[Neil]  
Traffic sucks. I’ll be home in about an hour.  
  
[Andrew]  
you’re not texting while driving.

[Neil]  
Traffic light.  
  
[Andrew]  
put your phone down.

Neil had seen a movie with Matt on Friday.  
The traffic had been horrible,  
even though it was around midnight when Neil drove back.

As always  
Andrew had waited for him to come home.

‘ _You don’t have to wait for me_ ,' Neil had once said.

But the look in Andrew’s eyes  
told him Andrew still remembered what it was like to not wait for Neil to get on the bus,  
to assume he was going to be there.

Neil had stopped trying to convince him.

Okay.  
The letters were tinier than Neil had anticipated.  
  
Neil carefully aimed for the ‘I’.  
  
[Andrew]  
u  
  
Not entirely according to plan.  
  
Neil tried again.  
  
▵▵  
  
The bedroom door opened after Neil’s fiftieth try to write something coherent.  
  
‘Do you want to starve?’ Andrew asked.

Neil looked up.

Oh, yeah.  
He vaguely remembered Andrew calling the cats for food.  
Which was something Andrew normally did,  
feed the cats in the morning.

Except now that included Neil.  
  
‘What’s that?’ Andrew asked, and moved closer, probably wondering why there was a light shining from underneath Neil’s paws.

Andrew grabbed the phone,  
and read the message Neil had so craftily typed.

[Andrew]  
uvam mweol  
  
Even Neil would’ve simply put away the phone after reading that cryptic message.  
  
He saw Andrew’s finger hovering over the screen however,  
and Neil wondered what he was thinking.  
  
But the hesitation was gone within a second.  
Andrew tapped rapidly on the screen, deleting the message before pocketing his phone.  
  
He turned towards Neil, then lifted him up before he could try to escape.  
  
Andrew put Neil in front of the feeding bowl in the kitchen.  
  
Like  
literally  
in front of it, Andrew almost pushing his nose into the unappetizing drab.  
  
It smelled like nondescript meat.

Which was better than it looked,  
barely resembling food.

Beside Neil, Sir Fat Cat McCatterson and King Fluffkins were devouring their breakfast without breathing.

 _I am not going to eat this,_ Neil said.

‘Eat,’ Andrew said.

 _No,_ Neil replied.

‘You will die if you don’t eat,’ Andrew replied.  
  
That much was true but.  
Neil knew where they kept their toast.

It was in a lower drawer,  
so Neil sprinted towards it and hooked his paw underneath the handle. 

Using his entire, small bodyweight,  
the drawer opened with a quick slide that made Neil fall sideways.

He heard Andrew snort.

Ignoring his boyfriend, Neil searched through the contents until he found the toast,  
and he’d almost grasped it between his paws before he remembered this wasn’t something cats did.  
  
It definitely felt  
weird  
to use his mouth, but it worked and that was all that mattered.

He was just about to paw at the bag when Andrew said, ‘You’re not going to eat toast.’

 _Yeah, I am_ , Neil replied, putting his paw inside the bag.

Andrew watched as Neil managed to get hold of a piece of bread  
but then he snatched the bread and the bag up and put both on the counter.  
  
Picking Neil up again, he held him in front of his face and said, ‘No. You eat bread, you die.’

What?  
  
Neil actually had no idea if that was true, but he remembered Andrew picking up a book on cats, back when they adopted McCatterson and King.

 _I just want to eat something that doesn’t look like garbage,_ Neil said.

Andrew stared at him.

Neil stared back.

The staring contest lasted about a minute before Andrew blinked,  
ha,  
and put Neil back on the ground, front paws in his food.

Neil observed his dirty paws.  
  
Smart.  
Now he _had_ to eat something by licking them clean.

 _I don’t like you,_ Neil said as he walked towards the water bowl,  
and defiantly put his front paws into it.  
  
‘Stop being such a martyr,’ Andrew said.  
  
But he left Neil alone to grab his coat, backpack and keys.  
  
Neil tried a little piece of the cat food.

It tasted  
well,  
like old canned meat.  
  
It wasn’t great,  
but Neil wasn’t planning on dying from starvation.

He heard Andrew walking towards him again,  
pausing to watch Neil eat the cat food  
before leaving the house.

Neil wished he could follow him out  
to train  
to hold his hand  
to talk to Andrew and tell him he regretted their fight.

▵▵  
  
While Andrew was training,  
Neil tried to keep up his stamina by racing through the house.  
  
He could be extremely fast if he managed to synchronize his movements perfectly.  
  
McCatterson was watching him from its usual, slightly mocking, place on the couch, while King was passed out next to his bowl.

Running around,  
Neil thought back to their training last Friday.  
  
It had been slow going   
for numerous reasons that had nothing to do with either Neil or Andrew,  
and afterwards, when Neil entered the locker room,  
he found Andrew staring at his phone.

When Neil had asked,  
Andrew had replied with, ‘ _Not important._ ’

So Neil had dropped it.

But he wondered now if it was related to their fight,  
to Andrew’s distraction.

A low meow startled Neil out of his thoughts and he paused to look at Sir Fat Cat McCatterson,  
who was looking at him with sleepy brown eyes.

 _What?_ Neil asked.

Sir Fat Cat McCatterson meowed again,  
loudly and whiny,  
like he normally did when he wanted attention.

If only Neil could get on the couch.  
  
If only Neil could fix this situation.  
  
▵▵  
  
Neil heard his phone buzz.

What?

He thought he’d taken it with him to the store.

Running towards the _very loud_ buzzing sound, Neil located his phone underneath the bed.  
Figured.

It was a bit of hassle to unlock it, but  
the message made Neil’s blood run cold.

[Andrew]  
where are you

Typing would probably be futile,  
so Neil didn’t even try.

But then,  
Andrew reached the worst possible conclusion.

[Andrew]  
you’re online  
  
[Andrew]  
don’t.

Neil wished he could do  
_anything._

But all he could do  
was watch  
until his screen became less bright,  
until it turned dark.

▵▵  
  
Late in the afternoon,  
the front door slammed shut.

King, who always liked Andrew a little better than McCatterson, trotted towards the door,  
but he’d barely made it out the living room before Andrew stormed in with bags of groceries in his hands,  
and put them on the kitchen counter.

Neil stared at Andrew,  
searching for the cracks,  
but Andrew’s face was blank as he unpacked microwave dinners and ice cream.  
  
He bent down near Neil’s feeding bowl, so Neil walked over to see what he was doing.  
  
He froze.  
  
‘Eat,’ Andrew said.

There was fresh tuna in the bowl.

Neil knew because of the smell,  
and the fact that it looked like actual food.

He looked at Andrew.

‘I’ll forcefeed you,’ Andrew threatened, returning his gaze.  
  
_I’m a cat,_ Neil said.  _How do you know what I want?_

But Neil knew   
Andrew noticed even the smallest things.  
  
He ate the tuna in less than five minutes.

Andrew was watching him the entire time.

▵▵  
  
Neil was watching Andrew the entire time  
he was sitting on the couch,  
staring at the blank T.V. screen.

Like he’d normally done when he’d been human,  
Neil walked over to the T.V. and reached for the remote with his paw.  
  
He pressed the power button  
because he hated how it seemed like the empty screen was sucking everything  
out of Andrew.

Neil zapped until he found the sports channel, where they were currently talking about one of the lower ranked Exy teams that had done reasonably well this season.  
He watched it for a few moments,  
then decided it was too boring and zapped until he found the discovery channel.  
  
‘What the fuck,’ Andrew said.

Even before Neil turned around,  
he felt Andrew’s eyes on him.

 _Too human for you?_ Neil asked.

Andrew just watched him.

Feeling a sudden longing to be close to Andrew,  
Neil walked closer and put his paw against Andrew’s leg.

 _Up,  
_ Neil simply said, knowing his short meow would be enough.  
  
And sure enough,  
Andrew lifted him up on the couch.

Laying his head on Andrew’s leg,  
Neil closed his eyes.  
Andrew was petting him again,  
combing through his fluffy, thick fur.

It wasn’t as good as real cuddling,  
but Neil still made a satisfied sound in the back of his throat that closely resembled a purr.  
  
_I’m here,_ Neil said sleepily.

But Andrew didn’t understand him.

▵▵  
  
‘Nicky sent a message,’ Andrew said, turning his attention to his book again.

‘Is it about the wedding?’ Neil asked.

‘I said we couldn’t go.’

‘You said _what?_ ’ Neil asked, sitting up and staring at Andrew in surprise.  
  
Andrew didn’t repeat himself.

The fact that Andrew had used the word  
we  
normally would’ve made Neil’s heart jump,  
except this time he had no idea what Andrew had been thinking.

‘We have to go,’ Neil said.

‘Don’t have to anything.’

‘Fuck, Andrew. He’s your cousin.’

‘Then go without me.’

‘I don’t want to go to Germany without you,’ Neil replied.

‘Not my problem.’

If Neil hadn’t been so tired  
or easily irritated,  
he might’ve thought this through.

As it was,  
he just laid down again and said,  
‘Fine. I won’t be your problem then.’

▵▵  
  
Neil woke up around midnight.

He was still in the living room, lying on the couch.  
The tiny lamp in the kitchen was on,  
adding a soft yellowish glow to the darkness.  
  
Noise sounded from the kitchen,  
and Neil saw Andrew open one of the bottom drawers with his foot,  
using it as a stepping stool so he could reach the top cupboard and get a box of cookies.  
  
It looked dangerous,  
but also kind of…  
cute, for lack of a better word.

 _I didn’t know you couldn’t reach that cupboard,_ Neil said, grinning.  
  
Andrew jumped a little  
and glared at Neil before grabbing the cookies.  
  
_I want cookies too,_ Neil complained.  
  
Andrew walked over to the couch,  
to Neil.

‘I get you in return.’

What?  
Whatever line of thought Andrew had finished,  
Neil wished he could ask about it.

Andrew observed Neil.  
His eyes looked tired.

‘But I can’t give you back,’ Andrew said, dragging a hand through Neil’s fur.  
  
▵▵  
  
They had avoided talking about it  
for almost the entire Sunday.  
  
Andrew made lunch, Neil did the laundry, and in the evening, while Neil watched a game on T.V., Andrew read his book.  
He had nearly finished it.

 _“Not my problem.”_  
  
Neil wondered if Andrew was nearly finished with him too.

‘Humour me,’ Neil said.

Andrew didn’t reply,  
but he looked up.  
  
‘Aaron I get. You don’t like Katelyn. But why won’t you go to Nicky’s wedding? Is it Erik?’

‘Erik’s fine.’

Neil turned down the volume of the T.V. so  
he could think about what else it could be.  
  
Andrew’s german was fine, so there wouldn’t be a language barrier…  
But there would be a distance barrier.

‘Is it the cross-atlantic flight?’ Neil asked.

Andrew tensed. ‘It’s not helping.’

‘What will help?’

‘Why do you want to go?’ Andrew asked.

‘Because it’s supposed to be Nicky’s happiest day.’

‘Would it be _yours_?’

Neil raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘What? Of course not.’

‘Then stop pretending. You didn’t like Aaron’s wedding.’  
  
‘It was fine,’ Neil lied.

Andrew’s expression hardened. ‘Lying got old years ago, Neil.’  
  
To be honest,  
Neil had felt a little out of place at the wedding.

All the happiness,   
the promises of something permanent,  
made him feel like he was standing on a baseball field,  
completely out of his league.  
  
Andrew had noticed.

‘That’s not a valid reason to not go,’ Neil said.

Andrew closed his book with a decisive _clap_. ‘Says who?’

And honestly, Neil was offended by Andrew’s line of thought. ‘Like you backed out of things because they made you uncomfortable,’ he shot back. ‘You would still be as high as a kite now.’

Andrew stood up.  
  
‘Then go.’

‘Will you go with me?’ Neil asked.  
  
Andrew looked at him for a moment,  
then turned away.  
  
▵▵  
  
Andrew hadn’t done anything all day,  
except get up to get coffee or a cigarette.  
  
Neil had searched the entire house for something that could help him explain,  
something that could show Andrew  
Neil wasn’t gone,  
just…  
different.  
  
But a lot of things were high up, and Neil had only managed one lucky jump onto the couch so far.

He knew it was bad.  
  
It was bad that Andrew seemed to  
stop.  
Stop taking care of himself.  
Stop being.  
  
Neil recognized it for Andrew’s way of coping,  
except it wasn’t coping.  
Not at all.  
  
▵▵  
  
The next day passed much the same.

Andrew hadn’t bothered changing out of his pyjamas,  
and after he’d given the cats their food,  
sat down on the couch and smoked a cigarette.  
  
And another.  
And another.

Neil noticed Andrew was only sitting on his side of the couch,  
his chair,  
and his side of the bed.  
  
The space Neil normally inhabited was like a living  
empty  
thing.

It seemed to follow Andrew all through the house.

Andrew didn’t eat that day.  
  
But Neil got the expensive tuna again.  
  
▵▵

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hahah, that's different, isn't it? 
> 
> I hope it's still enjoyable though! :)  
> Let me know your thoughts, they are very VERY much appreciated <3 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading !
> 
> EDIT: look at [this adorable art](http://cats-are-assholes.tumblr.com/post/170201944864/before-neil-remembered-that-he-didnt-have-hands) by cats-are-assholes <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people!
> 
> The final part of the story :)  
> I'll leave my ramblings for the end note haha.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

At around three o’clock the next day, someone pounded on the front door.   
  
Neil, who had been in the bedroom, walked over on autopilot before he remembered he couldn’t actually  
open  
the door.

_ Andrew _   
Neil called out.   
  
To his surprise, it was echoed.   
  
‘Andrew!’ Kevin called out. ‘Open the door.’

Kevin pounded on the door again,  
but Andrew didn’t seem to be in a mood to move.

Because Neil hoped Kevin could help with the situation,  
with Andrew’s state,  
he walked over to Andrew and put his paw against his leg.

_ Andrew _ ,   
Neil said.    
_ Open the door _ .

‘If you don’t open the door,’ Kevin said, ‘I’ll start discussing strategies. Through the door.’

Andrew stood up.

_ I bet you hate that we gave him a key to the building _   
Neil said, following Andrew into the hall.

When Andrew opened the door,   
Kevin gave him a disappointed look  
which Andrew ignored.

They walked back towards the living room.

‘I’m disappointed that worked,’ Kevin said.   
  
Instead of replying, Andrew walked over to the coffee machine.  
Kevin went for the couch,  
but paused in his steps when he spotted Neil.  
  
‘Do you have a new cat?’

‘No,’ Andrew said. ‘That’s a dog. Can’t you see?’

Kevin ignored Andrew’s jab in favour of crouching down and holding his hand out to Neil.   
  
For real?   
Neil stared at Kevin.

_ If you think I’m going to sniff that hand, you’re wrong  
_ Neil deadpanned.

‘It’s a beautiful cat,’ Kevin said.    
  
Andrew grabbed two mugs from the lower cupboard.   
‘It’s a Somali cat,’ he said. ‘Also known as fox cat.’

Neil hadn’t known that.  
The irony wasn’t lost on him.

‘It won’t come closer,’ Kevin said.

‘You move closer then,’ Andrew said, bored.

It was entertaining to watch Kevin inch closer,  
probably afraid of startling Neil.  
  
But before Kevin’s hand could reach him,   
Neil put his paw against it,  
pushing him back.

Kevin frowned at him.  
‘That’s unusual.’

_ You’re unusual _   
Neil replied.

‘Not a lot of cats do this,’ Kevin said.

_ How would you know? You’ve never owned a cat, _   
Neil said.

Kevin dropped his hand and observed Neil.

‘It’s almost... like we’re talking.’

Out of all the people who would maybe get it,  
who would maybe believe in something unusual or supernatural,  
Neil hadn’t expected    
Kevin  
to be the one.   
_  
You need to get more friends _   
Neil said.

‘It  _ is _ almost like we’re talking,’ Kevin repeated louder. ‘Does it do that with you too?’

Andrew didn’t bother answering as he put the mugs on the coffee table and sat down on the couch.   
  
‘Listen,’ Kevin insisted. ‘It replies.’

And then Kevin said very condescendingly,  
‘Hello cat.’

_ Oh my god _   
Neil said, rolling his eyes.  
  
‘It rolled its eyes!’

Andrew didn’t respond,  
probably not impressed by a cat who could move its eyes.

Kevin on the other hand, looked at Neil like he was a wonderful anomaly.

‘Are you a cat?’ Kevin asked.

_ No, _   
Neil replied.

‘Is Andrew nice to you?’

_ Yes _ ,  
Neil said.

‘I swear it’s talking,’ Kevin said again. 

Neil knew Andrew must be getting sick of the repetition,  
and indeed his voice sounded bored as he replied,  
‘Maybe it’s smarter than you.’

Kevin actually seemed to consider that for a moment,  
which Neil found hilarious.

‘Can you roll your eyes again?’ Kevin asked,  
and suddenly  
things were getting interesting.   
  
Neil rolled his eyes again.

Kevin’s eyes widened.

‘Can you touch my hand?’

Neil had to swallow his response  
_ yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to  
_ and moved closer so he could touch Kevin’s hand with his paw.  
  
He heard the couch creak behind him,  
a sign that Andrew was paying attention.

‘Can you understand what I’m saying?’ Kevin asked in surprise.

Neil was about to respond  
when Andrew beat him to it.

‘He can’t respond to that.’

‘I wasn’t actually planning on-’ Kevin argued,  
but Neil quickly interrupted him.   
  
_ It doesn’t matter what I’m saying, because all you hear are cat sounds _   
Neil answered.

‘That was a lot of noise,’ Kevin observed.

‘He probably got tired of your questions,’ Andrew deadpanned.   
  
Neil laughed inwardly.   
  
‘Like you never talk to the cats,’ Kevin said, standing up and walking over to the couch.   
  
‘I don’t ask them stupid questions.’

_ You spoil them _   
Neil agreed.

Kevin pointed at Neil.  
‘He thinks differently.’

_ Shut up Kevin _ ,  
Neil shot back and walked over to the couch.   
  
If there was one thing he  _ maybe _ liked,  
it was the fact that when he put his paw against Andrew’s leg,  
Andrew would lift him up and cuddle with him.

If only it would always be that simple.

But that was the scary thought, wasn’t it?   
What if it would  
always  
be this simple?

Lying against Andrew’s thigh,    
Neil sighed as Andrew started slowly combing through his fur.   
  
Except  
Kevin  
did it too.   
  
What the actual fuck.   
  
_ No _   
Neil said and sprang to his feet.

Andrew actually snorted.  
‘Guess he doesn’t like you.’

Kevin rolled his eyes.

‘He’ll like anyone who gives him food. It’s an animal.’

‘And just now, you were talking to it.’

‘Do you like me?’ Kevin asked Neil in the same condescending tone. ‘Twice for yes.’

Why wouldn’t Kevin actually give him the answer for no?  
  
Neil meowed once,  
to which Kevin argued it was just a coincidence.  
  
And left it at that.

‘Come back to practice,’ Kevin said.

‘Tomorrow,’ Andrew replied.

Kevin narrowed his eyes,  
probably wondering where the loophole was.

Neil knew.   
Andrew would come to practice,  
but he wouldn’t practice.   
  
Around dinner time,    
Kevin stood up to go and Neil wanted to tell him that he needed to stay  
to make sure Andrew ate something,  
but his efforts were laughed off by Kevin, stating that Neil liked him after all.   
  
Meanwhile Andrew put the cats’ dinner into their bowls, scooping out the drab and the tuna.

Because he was crouching, head down,  
Andrew's voice sounded quiet as he asked Kevin,  
‘Neil?’

Neil saw Kevin shake his head.

‘He doesn’t respond to me.’

Andrew’s hold on the spoon tightened,  
knuckles turning white  
and Neil saw different kinds of emotions in Andrew’s eyes,  
rapidly following each other up  
until he eventually settled on  
nothing.

‘Will you manage with the rent?’ Kevin asked.   
  
And it was horrible.  
It was horrible to say,  
because it meant Andrew had to think about the future,  
the possibility that Neil wouldn’t return.  
Ever.  
  
_ Fuck you _ ,   
Neil said.

Andrew merely stood up and nodded.

Then Kevin left,  
without making sure Andrew was eating.

▵▵  
  
Neil woke up in the middle of the night,  
disoriented.   
  
The bed was empty,  
and he immediately wondered where Andrew was.   
  
The light in the kitchen was a big help.

But when Neil walked into the kitchen,  
he didn’t see Andrew anywhere,  
even though the fridge was open.   
  
He walked around the corner.

Andrew was sitting on the ground,  
back against the wall.   
  
There was a beer and a tub of ice cream next to him.   
  
Neil walked over.

_ Andrew? _   
  
But Andrew didn’t look up.

He only raised the bottle to his lips and took a long sip.   
  
Neil’s throat felt like it was squeezed shut tighter  
with every sip Andrew took,  
with every blink  
that revealed the same lifeless eyes.

When Andrew put the bottle down,  
Neil quickly took it in his mouth and put it beside the trash can.

Turning around,  
he saw Andrew watching him.

And Neil returned to him  
like he would time and again.

Only because Andrew wouldn’t understand,  
did Neil put his hand-  
his pa-  
his fucking hand  
on Andrew’s leg.   
  
Only because Andrew wouldn’t understand  
did Neil say,  
for the first time in his life,

_ I love you _

‘No,’ Andrew rasped, putting a lid  
on the tub of ice cream.   
‘It’s not for you.’

_You’re right_ ,  
Neil said  
perhaps also answering Andrew.  
  
Now that the truth was out there,  
it was easier to confess,  
_Weddings scare me a little._  
_And you saw that.  
__You knew  
__and you didn’t want to make me go_ _  
__because it would be easier to decline  
__if you didn’t want to go._ _  
__Because Nicky’s your family._  
  
‘Shut up,’ was all Andrew replied,  
because he hadn’t understood.

Then Andrew picked himself up from the ground.

But only in the literal sense.

▵▵  
  
Neil heard Andrew getting his keys,  
and the sound of the front door closing.   
  
Well, that had gone shit.   
  
Neil saw the book Andrew had been reading lying on the couch,  
and after a moment’s hesitation,  
picked it up.   
  
He put it on Andrew’s nightstand  
before climbing in bed.

They’d talk it over tomorrow.   
  
His phone buzzed before he could fall asleep,  
and for a second Neil hoped it was Andrew.

It wasn’t.   
  
Andrew didn’t text and drive.

[Nicky]   
Hey Neil. If you can’t come to the wedding, that’s fine. I’ll be heartbroken, and you’ll owe me favours forever, but I understand!   
  
Neil put his phone away.   
He’d respond later.  
  
▵▵  
  
Neil sat beside McCatterson,  
in front of the scratching post Andrew had bought the cats months ago.   
  
Though McCatterson was normally a lazy, quiet cat,  
when he was in front of the post,  
he was like a cat possessed.   
  
His claws extended  
and he started ripping and tearing and scratching at the post like it was his worst enemy.   
Neil watched in awe,  
until a minute later,  
McCatterson dropped his round body to the ground,  
exhausted.  
  
Ignoring McCatterson’s heavy breathing, Neil thought how convenient it would be to be able to use his claws.   
  
He looked down at his fluffy paw.   
  
And shook it.   
  
And again.

Neil shook his paw harder,  
until he lost his balance, falling onto his butt.

If it had looked as stupid as it felt,  
Neil was glad Andrew was currently at practice.  
  
▵▵  
  
There was no way Neil could extend his claws on demand.

It was like pulling a muscle you didn’t know you had.  
Literally.

Which was probably what made Neil so uncomfortable with people talking about forever-futures.

He used the word, sure, but it still felt  
unreal  
to  _ think _ about a happy future together with Andrew  
instead of dream about it,  
instead of hoping for one.   
  
_ Thinking _ about such a future being an option  
was also  
like using a muscle Neil didn’t know he had.   
  
▵▵  
  
When Andrew came home,   
Neil walked towards the door to gauge Andrew’s wellbeing.

There seemed to be nothing in Andrew’s eyes,  
but that wasn’t unusual.   
  
What was unusual,  
was Andrew wearing his black hoodie zipped up.   
Like, the entire way up.

Neil was horrible with fashion, but he did notice whatever Andrew wore.   
  
It was a trend in his life.

What Neil normally didn’t notice,  
he noticed about Andrew.

It was okay though,  
because it had started with Andrew noticing him too.   
  
‘Hey,’ Andrew said, crouching in front of Neil and interrupting his reminiscing. ‘Got you two flavours.’   
  
Andrew held up two tins of the most expensive brand of cat food.    
  
One salmon, the other chicken.   
  
Neil wrinkled his nose in disgust,  or well he would’ve had if he was a human,  at the salmon  
and put his paw against the tin with chicken.

Andrew watched him for a moment longer,  
observing him,  
then nodded and put away the other one.

‘You don’t like salmon?’ Andrew said, not  _ really  _ asking  
but totally asking his cat.  
  
_ No _ ,   
Neil replied,  
wishing Andrew had given him the  
‘meow once for yes’ instruction like Kevin had done.   
  
Neil ate his dinner,  
which really tasted a whole lot better than the inexpensive stuff,  
so maybe they should treat the cats to this once in a while,  
and wondered if Andrew had talked to Kevin today.   
  
Had asked him again.

“ _ Neil? _ ”    
  
“ _ He doesn’t respond to me. _ ”   
  
Neil froze midchew.   
  
Wait.  


Kevin had been texting him.   
The last time Neil had checked his phone was almost a week ago now,  
when he’d first changed into a cat.   
  
Maybe he should check it again.   
  
_ Ding _ said their microwave  
and Andrew took out his dinner, which probably cost less than Neil’s.

But at least he was eating.

Neil watched Andrew walk towards their small dinner table,  
absentmindedly fiddling with the zipper of his hoodie.   
  
▵▵  
  
Nose slide  
paw wipe  
and then Neil was looking at his chats.   
  
There weren’t a lot from Kevin.

[Kevin]  
What are you doing that’s more important than training?  
  
[Kevin]  
Neil.  
  
[Kevin]  
Where are you right now?  
  
[Kevin]  
I won’t forgive you for leaving Andrew

Oh.  
It was unexpected,  
this reciprocation of Andrew and Kevin’s… friendship.   
Though that wasn’t exactly the right word for whatever understanding they had.

Neil noticed that so far, aside from Andrew,  only Kevin knew that Neil was gone.

Neil clicked on Andrew’s name.

Andrew hadn’t sent him anything else after his last messages.

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened,  
and Neil quickly dropped his body onto the phone before Andrew could see what he was doing.  
  
Andrew turned on the lamp on his bedside table.

It seemed a little early for Andrew to go to bed-  
Neil’s train of thought quickly stopped  
when Andrew pulled his zipper down,  
pulled his hoodie off.

Andrew  
was wearing  
Neil’s jersey.

He had actually broken into Neil’s locker  
and stolen his jersey.

Fair enough, Neil thought,  
trying very hard to ignore the painful clenching inside his chest.

While Andrew went to the bathroom to brush his teeth,  
Neil made a snap decision.

He would try  
one more time.

He owed Andrew that much.

Opening the chat again,  
Neil knew exactly what he needed to say.   
  
▵▵  
  
Andrew’s phone buzzed.

Neil tried to pretend he wasn’t staring at Andrew,  
but he was watching intensely as Andrew walked over to the bed and picked up his phone.   
Read the text.

[Neil]  
uvam mweol   
  
Andrew stood frozen,  
staring at his phone for what felt like minutes.

Then he looked at Neil.

‘Did you do this?’  
  
Too much of a coincidence.   
Come on, Andrew.    
It was too much of a coincidence.   
  
Forgoing the whole talking thing,  
Neil slowly lifted and dropped his head,  
doing the incredible thing called  
nodding.

Andrew’s eyes were flitting through the room,  
like he was searching for something.

‘Where is it?’ Andrew asked. ‘Where did you hide the phone?’  
  
Neil moved his body off the phone  
and, climbing on the bed, Andrew reached for it.   
  
‘Is this a fucking joke?’

_ I don’t think being turned into a cat increased my sense of humour _ ,  
Neil replied.

Andrew didn’t reply.

Instead,  
he dropped the phone.  
Dropped his shoulders,  
his gaze.

Sitting silent  
and still  
on the middle of the bed,  
wearing Neil’s jersey and sweatpants,  
Andrew was finally cracking.

Neil needed to do something.

Moving closer so he could slide the phone away from Andrew and towards himself,  
Neil clicked away the chat screen,  
swiped at his apps until he found the phone icon  
and scrolled through his contact list  
until he found Andrew’s name.

And called him.

Andrew’s phone buzzed against his leg.   
  
It wasn’t a lot,  
but slowly, Andrew’s gaze moved away from wherever it had been  
and back towards the present,  
towards the phone.   
  
‘Neil?’ he asked.

_ Yes _ ,  
Neil said.

Andrew looked at him.

‘Neil?’   
  
_ Yes _ ,  
Neil said again  
and after a pause, decided to nod as well.   
  
And then,  
Andrew laughed.

It was a terrible  
twisted laugh.

‘I’m losing it,’ Andrew said.

Anger, hot and prickly, took hold of Neil  
and he pushed his paw against Andrew’s leg.

Very slowly, he shook his head.

‘I’m not sure which one of us is the craziest,’ Andrew said.  

▵▵  
  
‘I am,’ Andrew answered his own question  
after he taped together 26 pieces of paper, each with one letter of the alphabet on them.

Finally  
they were getting somewhere.   
  
Neil immediately dashed towards the letters and tapped them in order.

‘Sorry?’ Andrew said. ‘Just fucking tell me what happened.’

Neil sprinted around again.  
  
c  
u  
r  
s  
e  
d

‘How?’ Andrew asked.

m  
a  
n

‘More details.’

So Neil proceeded to spell ‘dark skin’, ‘feathers hair’ and ‘light eyes’.   
  
‘Where?’ 

s  
t  
o  
r  
e

Andrew’s eyes narrowed.

‘Did this happen last Monday?’

Neil nodded.

‘Did you see which direction he went in?’ 

And so Neil tried to explain the situation the best he could.

He wasn’t sure Andrew getting more information about the guy would help a lot,  
because they weren’t exactly living in a small town,  
but it was great to finally talk with Andrew.

After he’d gotten all the information,  
Andrew nodded once,  
then lit up a cigarette.

Neil watched the determined set of Andrew’s shoulders  
and the expression in Andrew’s eyes that told Neil he was thinking.

So different from only minutes before.

But.  
Neil hesitated.  
Was that really all he needed to say?

Should he tell him?   
  
It wasn’t something Neil had planned on ever telling,  
but now that the option had been taken away,  
it suddenly haunted him.  
  
Because what if they couldn’t change him back?   
Would it be bad to have never told Andrew?   
  
Neil carefully tapped out the letters,  
watching Andrew’s eyes follow his movements.

l  
o  
v  
e  
  
y  
  
‘Stop,’ Andrew said.    
  
Neil’s paw froze above the ‘o’.

Andrew stood up,  
and Neil was afraid he’d crossed a line after all.  
  
Walking to the fridge and grabbing a new tub of ice cream,  
Andrew wasn’t looking at Neil when he said,  
‘I know.’

▵▵  
  
It felt good to finally be outside again after so many days being holed up inside their apartment,  
and Neil had to fight against the urge to run around.

Instead he walked calmly beside Andrew like he was a dog rather than a cat.

_ Do you have any idea what you’re going to do when we find him? _   
Neil asked without thinking, forgetting for a moment that Andrew couldn’t understand him.

But Andrew didn’t even acknowledge his meowing, which kind of offended Neil,  
and instead chose to walk as quickly as possible to the grocery store.

When they arrived, Neil pointed in the direction he’d seen the guy head towards  and Andrew didn’t even hesitate,  
hands inside his pocket as he continued walking.   
  
After half an hour,    
Andrew surprised Neil by walking up to a group of girls.   
  
They all eyed him suspiciously,  
but when Neil sat down beside Andrew,    
their eyes grew big and their voices shot up.   
  
‘Is that your cat?’ one of the girls asked.   
  
‘Yes,’ Andrew answered shortly. ‘Can you help us with something?’

Neil thought it was smart of Andrew to use the word ‘us’,   
taking full advantage of Neil’s fluffiness.  
  
‘Of course!’ another squealed, crouching down in front of Neil and holding out her hand.

Ugh,  
Neil so did not want to do this.    
  
But he wanted to help Andrew,  
so he walked towards her hand and  
sniffed  
it.   
  
Some flowery, sweet perfume assaulted his nostrils  
and Neil sneezed.

This, the girls found even more adorable, and they all squealed.   
  
‘Have you seen a dark skinned guy around here?’ Andrew asked. ‘He has light grey eyes and feathers in his hair.’

Two girls shook their heads and said that they hadn’t, but the third girl seemed to think really hard.   
  
‘Wait a minute,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve seen him a few times, in the pet shop across the street.’   
  
‘Oh,’ one of her friends said. ‘Is he the hot guy with the dreadlocks?’

‘I think so,’ the girl said.

‘Thanks,’ Andrew replied, and waited for a few moments as the girls continued petting Neil, cooing over his soft fur.   
  
But then he walked away,  
so Neil had to quickly run after him,  
hearing the girls behind him wonder how on earth a cat could be so well trained.  
  
▵▵  
  
The pet shop the girls had been talking about apparently doubled as a shelter for cats and dogs.   
  
The girl behind the counter greeted them when they entered and Andrew started towards her,  
but Neil wandered towards the back, observing the different cats and dogs in their cages.

Until.

Crouched in front of a cage containing a large, fluffy white cat  
was  _ the guy _ .   
Him.  
The witch.

_ You! _   
Neil yelled, again forgetting he couldn’t be understood.   
  
But the guy turned around and smiled.   
‘Oh, hello again. Fancy meeting you here.’

_ Turn me back _ ,  
Neil said angrily.

The guy tilted his head to the side, as if he was thinking it over.

‘Umm. No.’  
  
Neil really wished he could use his claws,  
but they were already there behind him as he heard footsteps  
and smelled Andrew’s familiar and comforting scent coming closer.  
  
‘Let’s see,’ Andrew said, not bothering with introductions as he moved in front of Neil. ‘If you’re going to cooperate.’

Luckily for him, the guy didn’t misjudge the danger Andrew posed,  
fear flickering across his face.

‘Look,’ the guy said, smiling nervously. ‘He started it by being rude to me.’   
  
‘It’s a problem,’ Andrew agreed. ‘But not as much as you are.’

‘And what are you going to do about it?’ the guy asked, taking a step back. ‘I could turn you into a cat too, you know.’

‘Why cats?’ Andrew asked, taking a step forward and casually sliding a knife out from under his armbands.

Fear now took a permanent residence on the guy’s face.   
  
‘It’s j-just what I’m good at. I have three cats myself.’

Neil wondered why on earth he would tell them this, but then he noticed the guy’s hands raising ever so slowly  
just like he’d done before he’d cursed Neil.

He was trying to distract Andrew.

_ Watch out _ ,  
Neil meowed.   
  
In vain, it seemed,  
because his mouth had only formed the ‘me-’  
before Andrew lunged forward, knife glinting in the artificial light  
before he stabbed the guy in the leg.   
  
‘Ow!’ the guy yelled out in pain, falling on his knees. 

Neil saw him staring in shock at the blood trickling over his pants.

‘Turn him back,’ Andrew said, twirling the knife in his hand.   
  
The guy looked at it in fear.

‘I-I can’t.’

Andrew’s hand stilled.   
  
‘Wrong answer.’

Only seconds before Andrew’s knife sank into the guy’s shoulder,  
the guy blurted out in panic,  
‘Someone has to help him!’

Andrew paused.  
‘Help him?’

‘Yeah, w-with the curse. I said he had to rely on his charm to get people to help him. That’ll turn him back.’  
  
The edge of Andrew’s knife pressed against the guy’s shoulder,  
a silent threat,  
as Andrew asked,  
‘What do I say?’ 

‘Say you want to help him!’ the guy said quickly, nearly falling over his words.

Andrew observed the guy for a minute or so  
while he pressed his knife into the guy’s shoulder,  
effectively reducing him to a trembling, panicky mess.

‘I’m going to try,’ Andrew said. ‘If you move, you will lose your hands.’

He didn’t wait to see if the guy understood before turning towards Neil.   
  
Neil looked expectantly up at him.

‘I want to help you,’ Andrew said clearly.  
  
Not breaking their eye contact,  
Neil noticed after a few seconds how, gradually, Andrew was shrinking and he was growing  
until he had gained back the inch or what he had on Andrew.

There was no smile or relieved sigh,   
but there was a slight loosening of Andrew’s shoulders  
and a blink  
that told Neil Andrew had quickly shoved whatever he was feeling to the side so he could turn around and deal with the one responsible for this mess.  
The one responsible for making Andrew feel things he hadn’t anticipated.

‘On second thought,’ Andrew said. ‘Here’s a reward.’

Neil didn’t stop Andrew as he kicked the guy against the head.

He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Neither of them said anything.

Then Andrew simply walked back into the store, putting away his knife like nothing had happened, and looked around for the cat food section.

‘We should get the more expensive brand,’ Neil said. ‘It’s really good.’

Andrew grabbed a few tins,  
walked to the counter and paid for them.   
  
They were almost out of the store before Neil turned around and said to the girl behind the counter,  
‘There’s a guy unconscious in the back. He injured himself.’

It wasn’t like he was concerned about him.  
Neil was just worried the animals in the back might panic when they smelled the blood.  
  
▵▵  
  
They didn’t talk on the way home,  
which was fine by Neil,  
because he was still trying to get used to being so _tall  
_ and walking on only two legs.  
  
▵▵  
  
But when Andrew opened the apartment door and took off his jacket,  
Neil immediately said,  
‘We need to talk.’

Andrew accepted this without a word and walked towards the living room, where he sat down on the couch.

Neil wanted to join him,  
but-

‘First I need a coffee,’ Neil said, remembering he hadn’t had one for over a week.  
That needed to change fast.   
  
Opening the cupboard above his head and taking out two mugs while the coffee machine starting to make noise,  
Neil suddenly remembered.   
  
He kept his voice level as he said,  
‘So should we buy a small stepladder?’  
  
Andrew didn’t respond  
and when Neil looked over his shoulder,  
he was met with a glare.

It made Neil laugh.   
  
To his surprise however,  
Andrew’s glare quickly disappeared.   
  
Then, the coffee machine bleeped to let Neil know it was ready to produce delicious coffee,  
so he filled the two mugs and brought them over to Andrew.   
  
Andrew was watching him again.  
Or maybe not  again.

Maybe Andrew was still watching,  
eyes glued to Neil.

Neil knew he’d never hear the words  
_ I missed you  
_ but he sure as hell saw them now.

His chest felt warm  
as he stared back.

‘Talk,’ Andrew said eventually.

‘I forgot what I wanted to talk about it,’ Neil lied.

Andrew broke their eye contact by reaching for his coffee,  
and Neil reluctantly did the same.

The reluctance disappeared after the first sip.

‘I missed this,’ Neil groaned.   
  
When he put his mug down,  
Andrew’s attention was already fully on him,  
gaze heavy.

Yeah, Neil thought he wouldn’t be able to talk casually about this anyway.

‘Yes o-’  
  
‘Yes,’ Andrew immediately interrupted him and then they were both leaning towards each other,   
Neil’s hands burying themselves in Andrew’s hair  
and Andrew’s arms wrapping around Neil, pulling their bodies flush against each other  
as with every kiss  
they told each other

_ I’m happiest  
_ _ with you _ .

‘You were right,’ Neil said against Andrew’s neck,  
lips moving over his flushed skin with every word.

‘Of course I was,’ Andrew said in a rough voice.    
  
‘The idea of a wedding seems unreal,’ Neil said while his fingers travelled underneath Andrew’s shirt  
and over his back.

‘The concept isn’t difficult,’ Andrew said,    
but Neil could hear him catch his breath.   
  
‘I thought the reality was,’ Neil confessed  
as Andrew pushed him back against the couch,  
hands tightening on Andrew’s shoulder as he pulled Andrew back against him.

‘Hm?’ Andrew said as he quickly got rid of Neil’s shirt,  
then leaned back  
and looked down at Neil.   
  
‘But it isn’t with you,’ Neil said quietly,  
tracing Andrew’s lips with his finger as he looked up at him.

This time Andrew didn’t say anything in return.   
  
Eyes staring into Neil’s,  
Andrew sighed deeply.

Neil could feel it against his fingertips.  
  
‘The flight isn’t great,’ Andrew said drily.

A laugh bubbled up,  
and Neil’s lips curled into a smile.

‘But we’re still going to Nicky’s wedding, aren’t we?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good,’ Neil said, threading his fingers through Andrew’s hair. ‘I don’t want to owe Nicky favours for the rest of my life.’

‘That everything you wanted to talk about?’   
  
‘Yes,’ Neil said,  
meaning both  
and using the hand in Andrew’s hair to tug him down again.

Immediately, Andrew’s strong hands gripped Neil’s legs and pushed them apart,  
so Neil used the opportunity to wrap them around Andrew’s middle.  
  
To keep him there.

But Andrew had a different idea,  
sliding his arms underneath Neil and lifting him up,  
carrying him to their bedroom.

‘Show off,’ Neil said between the kisses against Andrew’s neck.

Andrew shivered.  
  
‘I’m making sure you can get on the bed,’ Andrew replied.    
  
Oh, for fuck’s sake.

‘You try jumping with a different body,’ Neil started protesting.   
  
But his words died in his throat as Andrew carefully laid him down on the bed.   
  
Seeing Andrew above him,  
all of his attention focused on Neil,  
Neil didn’t know why he had ever been worried or felt uncomfortable about weddings.

Giving everything  
to someone  
forever?

Yeah, they’d both already done that.

▵▵

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am... quite emotional actually, after reading your comments.  
> Honestly, what did I do to deserve you? ♡  
> You are, without a doubt, one of the main motivators for me to keep revising, editing, rereading and just, work as hard as I can to get better at writing! I'm SO grateful for you guys. 
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Oh, and if you ever want to talk to me or prompt me something, feel free to do so on my tumblr (idnis.tumblr.com) or twitter (@idnis9) !


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